Spirit Wars: Toska
by Miakoda Songbird
Summary: Years have passed since the closure of Balcov Abbey and BIOVOLT's ultimate end but for Kai and Yuriy the nightmare is far from over. Haunted by the memories of abuse and past mistakes Kai has begun to seek out relief in the form of intoxication. Meanwhile, Yuriy is on the run from a Russian Military organization known as Blitzkrieg... (cont in ch 1)
1. Prologue

**Summary: Years have passed since the closure of Balcov Abbey and BIOVOLT's ultimate end but for Kai and Yuriy the nightmare is far from over. Haunted by the memories of abuse and past mistakes Kai has begun to seek out relief in the form of intoxication. Meanwhile, Yuriy is on the run from a Russian Military organization known as Blitzkrieg. What connections does this company have to the BIOVOLT corporation and at what lengths are Kai and Yuriy willing to go in order to escape its iron hold?**

* * *

 **A/N:** Hey kids, I'm here today because I have recently relapsed on an old Beyblade addiction. I thought I was free, but it appears the hold those beybladers have on me is invincible. So I figured I'd give in to the cravings this one time and return to the world of fanfic publication…

Oh dear.

Before I start I'd first like to mention that I am going to have to take some liberties and alter certain episodes and details of the series to make this story work… so I guess it's going to be slightly AU. Second, for anyone previously reading Toska when I first published I apologize for taking it down so suddenly, time restraints got hold of me and I had originally decided to turf the project. One year later I've changed my mind, but it's important to note that new chapters could appear anywhere from 2 weeks to 9 months apart with my busy schedule.

Here's a quick list of the "need to know" changes ahead.

\- The biggest one is to the Hiwatari family. This is a **Russian** family with a **Russian** Military Company and their surname is Hiwatari… I'm changing this. For the sake of this story Voltaire's surname is Vetrov. Kai uses his mom's name so we'll stick with Hiwatari for him, but his father's side of the family is no longer at all Japanese.

\- In the original Japanese version Voltaire's name is Souichirou. Again, we're having the Japanese problem. However, I'm pretty sure Voltaire is actually a French name… regardless, he's one of the few characters who will have his English dub first name. He's not really in the story, but when he's mentioned I wanted to give you a heads up.

\- In the manga Kai's father's name is Susumu. Also changing. I'm going by the anime story line so this character is 100% my OC.

\- In the anime when Kai gets his hands on Black Dranzer and "destroys" the abbey he looks to be about 7/8 ish. For this story he was 12 when it happened.

\- Bitbeast names will be the english dub

Names in this Chapter (For anyone not up to speed on the Japanese original): Yuriy Ivanov - Tala Valkov

 **Warnings:** Ignorant Characters make for ignorant dialogue. Apologies in advance. Though most aren't appearing in this chapter there will be some major OC's that play important roles in this story, as well as added family members. If you're ok with all that I implore you to give this story a shot.

* * *

The sun blazed high in the sky, its scorching heat beating down on the small team of soldiers that sat exposed in the hot, crimson stained desert sand. The smallest of the seven yawned, stretched his arms above his head, and plunked backwards onto the ground, his expression one of boredom. While the others felt much the same he was the only one whom did not appear to be suffering any sort of discomfort in the extreme heat and instead was strictly focused on how antsy he was growing.

"I hope he gets back soon." The eldest of the group groaned as she fanned herself with a hand. "It's fucking hot out here."

The young man that lay in the sand leaned his head backwards, craning his neck. With a grin he reached for something that caught his eye, pulled it closer, then threw it at his teammate. "Use that for shade." He snorted.

A severed arm, burnt and bloody, landed in the girls lap. She pinched a finger gingerly and tossed it aside, offering her fellow soldier a disgusted glance. "Nikolai, you're fucking gross… God damn psychopath."

"Aw, come on now. I'm just trying to be helpful." Nikolai retorted as he sat back up, red eyes gleaming with mischief.

"Helpful? The only thing you're any good for is mass slaughter." Stated the only blonde haired boy in the group as he pushed himself up and shifted uncomfortably onto his elbows, cringing as his skin brushed against hotter sands.

"Hmm." Nikolai glanced around the battlefield where bodies and weapons lay scattered around them, the skin of most singed charcoal. "Good thing I was here then, huh?"

"We're getting off topic." Groaned the dark skinned eldest again. "It's hot. I want shade. Or water. Or snow. Fuck, snow would be amazing. I can't wait to be back in Russia."

"Well Lucya, we've got a long wait ahead of us." The only other female replied. She pointed a thumb over her shoulder at a crumbling stone structure that was once part of a now desecrated town. "If you're so hot why don't you go hang out with the hostages for a bit."

"Because the boss said to stay put."

"So?" Nikolai snorted.

"Some of us would rather not be punished for insolence."

"Nah, some of you are just weak and cowardly." He paused. "Scratch that. All of you are."

None of the group appeared offended by the comment and paid the youngest little heed. They were used to his overconfidence, and intelligent enough to know not to challenge it. Small Nikolai may have been, but stable he was not. He was the strongest and most reckless of them all, and he was not to be trifled with.

"So when does round two begin?" Nikolai climbed to his feet and dusted off his black pants.

The squad were all fitted in the same uniform. Dark grey cargo pants, made of a material much too thick for the desert and better suited for the harsh Russian winters, fitted with a belt around the waist and knife holsters at the side of each thigh, black steel-toed combat boots, black tank-top, and a black military style coat that none of the team were currently wearing, which left the winged cross tattoos on their right shoulders exposed.

"Whenever the boss gets back."

"Nah, I don't mean the execution. I mean round two of this" Nikolai held out his arms and looked to the massacre's remains. "I want to toast some American buns."

"We're not here to slaughter Americans. Our targets are the Arab guys." Explained the blonde boy.

"Iraqui." The younger girl corrected, though she herself was not entirely certain who it was they were fighting.

"Whatever. The brown guys with the stupid headgear then."

"That's racist Vasily."

"Marina, we're here to kill the fucking cunts. Do you think I care in the least if I'm insulting them beforehand?"

"You could stand to be a -little- more respectful."

"Ugh. Who cares who it is. I'm bored. I want to shed some blood." Nikolai turned his head to the building wreckage. "Think Kirill would mind if I tortured one of the assholes in there?"

"I think he'd torture -you- for even considering it." Lucya stated.

"Neat."

At that moment Vasily rose quickly to his feet and ushered the others to follow suit. "Guys! He's on his way back. I see him."

In the distance, blurred by waves formed by the heat, two figures approached. One, the taller of the two, was easily recognizable by the black uniform that stood out against the copper sands. The desert camouflaged uniform of the American soldier he marched beside, however, was much more difficult to see.

Kirill Vetrov was a fearless man, told true in the confidence he had presented himself with when he had sought out the General in this barren wasteland and proven even more so when the American's eyes fell upon the remnants of the battlefield.

"As you can see-" Kirill continued on the current conversation, his English so flawless that one would not guess him at all to be of Russian origin. "My soldiers have already infiltrated a camp and have captured the terrorists which you have been hunting." He waved a hand in gesture to his team and Lucya immediately marched into the decayed shelter. In a moment she appeared again, kicking at two bound men who were tripping over their own feet as they tried to walk with their restraints.

The general watched in both awe and confusion. For months they had been searching for these men and their cell only for a group of Russian strangers to locate them on a whim. If he had not known Kirill he would have found it suspicious, but as it were they had shaken hands many a time in the past. He was the General's secret door to Russian intel, as he was Kirill's to America's.

"Is this your whole team?" Questioned the grey-haired military leader.

"This is it." Kirill proudly replied.

"But, they're so few, and so… young." The general looked over the faces of the young soldiers. The oldest could not have been more than 21, and two were still very obviously in their teens.

"Never underestimate the power of youth." Kirill waved a hand and Nikolai stepped from the line towards him. "My great grandfather began research on weaponizing the human body in order to create genetically superior soldiers to fight in World War II. Though unsuccessful his research has passed down the generations and in the late 80's my father and I finally stumbled upon the key. In the last 10 years we perfected it." He put a hand on Nikolai's back and turned the youngest of the group to face the two cowering terrorists. "This, General Brooks, is Russia's best kept secret."

Nikolai snapped his fingers, igniting a spark. Beneath his skin his veins began to glow a ebony, pulsing with his heartbeat as a wave of black flame enclosed around his arm. The red of his eyes intensified and with a hysterical laugh the fire erupted from his hands and wrapped around the two trembling criminals who begged and pleaded for their lives with desperate screams of repentance. The blaze took the shape of a great winged beast before it fell and blanketed the two men, filling the air with the scent of burning flesh and the lingering echo of agonized dying screams.

"Th-this is impossible!" General Brooks stuttered, searching the boy up and down with his eyes for some kind of concealed weapon. "How?"

"Many years of grueling research, and a little… magic."

"This is incredible but, why now? Why dig your nose into this war? Russia has little hand in-"

"General, you let me worry about that. Now what do you say? Take on these soldiers and I guarantee that you will see an end to this war of terror in the next year. Wouldn't it be lovely to return home to your wife and daughter?"

For a moment Brooks was speechless as he glanced between Kirill and his 'army'. "Are there more of these… these soldiers?"

"Yes."

"As strong as him?"

"Well, yes. But I'm afraid the strongest of them are not quite ready for battle just yet."

—

The morning was growing late, but Kai Hiwatari was in no hurry. His tie hung loosely around his neck and the green jacket of his school uniform remained unbuttoned as he double checked his reflection in the mirror. The blue triangles that usually lined his face were gone, a bottle of tattoo-grade concealer on the bathroom counter the only indication that they were hidden and not washed away. Content that the blue could not be seen and the makeup was not clumped or obvious, Kai stashed the bottle away in a black bag beneath the sink and turned away to start for class, scooping up his bag and pocketing his Dranzer beyblade before stepping out of his dorm.

Three and a half thousand kilometres away the tired form of Yuriy Ivanov plunked itself down against the hard, ratty futon that had been left behind by the previous owner of his shabby bachelor apartment. Ice blue eyes stared at the peeling white paint on the ceiling above and his stomach made its irritation at its emptiness well known. He placed a hand and rubbed his caved in belly. "Soon." He muttered. "I got an actual job last night. A few more days and I can finally eat something that I haven't dug out of a garbage bin." He rolled over onto his side and reached out to his coffee table where he scooped up Wolborg's blade. The bit was empty, but the wolf's presence was not gone. He closed his eyes. "Soon I can leave this fucking Country behind…"

—


	2. Chapter 1

Character's Japanese names in this chapter:

Yuuya Minami - Wyatt Smithwright (V-force) Zo - Zeo (I think?) (V-Force)

* * *

 _ **Chapter 1: How Far We've Fallen**_

 _October 5th, 20XX_

The school day had barely begun but Kai already found himself bored and unfocused. He gazed longingly out the classroom window through his scruffy slate bangs which hung carelessly in front of his deep crimson eyes. His chin was in the palm of his hand, elbow resting on his desk, and head turned away from the front of the room. He wanted to be outside, basking in the warm sunlight, lazing about beneath the azure blue sky. Instead he was confined to this tiny classroom, window closed tight, listening to a lecture on a piece of literature he cared little for.  
He wondered for a moment why he bothered, why he came to class every day when it was entirely possible for him to sneak away unnoticed at any time. Maybe it was what he liked. Maybe all his years spent imprisoned in the cold, desolate abbey had made him dependent on structure… He stifled a snort. Such a thought was completely preposterous. If there was one thing Kai hated more than anything it was being tied to a leash, no matter how long or short it may be.  
So why was he wasting his time here? Something to distract him maybe? Or, more likely, to feel some sense of normality in his life.  
A smirk dared to tug at the corner of his lips.  
Normality? Yeah. Right.  
"Mr. Hiwatari," The professor's voice drew the somber teen's attention from the window to focus on the lesson. "could you please continue reading where Arata left off?" Wearily Kai stood, his eyes scanning the page of his book as he searched for the last sentence read by his classmate. Though his mind had been wandering he had kept enough of his attention on the reading to avoid embarrassment when the teacher inevitably noticed his lack of focus. It was a skill he was certain he'd picked up long ago, but had mastered during his days traveling with his teammates, the Bladebreakers.

"Through me you pass into the city of woe:  
Through me you pass into eternal pain:  
Through me among the people lost for aye.  
Justice the founder of my fabric moved:  
To rear me was the task of Power divine,  
Supremest Wisdom, and primeval Love.  
Before me things create were none, save things  
Eternal, and eternal I endure.  
All hope abandon, ye who enter here…"

The ten minute change between classes led Kai first to his locker where he neglectfully dumped his notebook and copy of Dante's Inferno in exchange for a mathematics text from the top shelf along with a binder crammed full of notes and homework pages.  
Math was one of the few subjects the teenager usually focused his full attention in, both inside and outside of class. Where most of his classes required little more than memorization and interpretation, mathematics was the one topic that offered any kind of challenge in logic and problem solving. It was his worst subject, his lowest grade, but it was at the very least stimulating.  
He stuffed his shoulder bag with the books and supplies needed, and had started to close the door of his locker when a voice from down the hallway demanded his attention.  
"Hiwatari!"  
Kai looked back over his shoulder and when he recognized who it was seeking him out he pulled his locker door back open.

"I've got a present for you." stated the older, brown haired teen as he approached. Using the open door and their backs as barrier, and following a quick check over his shoulder, he slipped a small bag of weed into Kai's open hand.

"That'll be four thousand."

"Four?" Kai raised an eyebrow. "It's gone up."

"Supply and demand, my man. If you wanna make any Yen in this dog-eat-dog world you can't ignore inflation."

Kai rolled his eyes. "New car?"

"New car." The senior admitted. "And she needs some pimping, which my parents won't fork out the extra funds for."

Kai dug in his pants pocket and pulled out two thousand yen which he placed in his dealer's open palm. "You want the other two, Tanabe? Get me another two grams."

The teen's brow furrowed in frustration. "Oh come on Kai. You're the richest kid in this school. Besides, it's for a good cause."

"Goodbye Kenji."

With a shake of his head Kenji Tanabe turned away, muttering playful obscenities as he always did when Kai would call his bluff. On most days the stoic beyblader would ignore this as it was not uncommon for the students of Ishikawa Academy to label him as a 'dick' or an 'asshole' (amongst many other profane disrespects). But there were a few words that he did not take to lightly, most of which relating to a rumour that had spread around the school about him two years prior. The first of these was murderer, or killer. The second, which he believed to have heard slip from Tanabe's mouth, was Psychopath.  
Without warning Kai slammed his locker shut, shot around and grabbed Tanabe buy the collar of his shirt. Forcefully he pushed him into the lockers and with his free hand punched the door so close to the teen's head that his fist brushed Tanabe's ear.

"What did you just call me!?"

Stunned, the senior dumbly blinked and waited for the ringing in his ear to ease before he opened his mouth to speak.

"Geez! Touchy much?" He cooed. "I called you a jerk. I always call you a jerk. You always hear me call you a jerk. Calm down, asshole. I'm the one person in this school that doesn't call you anything worse than that."  
Jerk? That wasn't what Kai thought he had heard and the words were so different that there was no possibility that he could have misheard. However, as common sense fought with his defensive nature Kai began to loosen his grip on Tanabe's coat.

"You really need to calm your shit Kai. Ever since that acid trip you've been super fucking jumpy. Here-" He reached into his pocket, pulled out a small bag with two pills, and stuffed it into Kai's coat. "On the house, grouchy. Take a couple Oxy and sleep off some of this moodiness."  
Kai let go of the senior completely and took a step back. Though he would never express it he felt the slightest bit embarrassed by the spontaneity of his action. Without an apology, or a second thought about the illegal contents in his pocket, the sullen teenager returned to his locker and gently shut the door that had bounced back open.

"Seriously Kai. You need to chill out."

"Hn."

The sharp ring of the buzzer pulled the attention of both boys away from each other. With a curse Tanabe tore down the hallway towards his own class, fearful of being late, while Kai continued along at his casual pace, unconcerned about his tardiness. The teachers of the academy all knew and (more or less) accepted by now that if he was going to show up he would do it on his own time. He felt no need to hurry.

As he sauntered through the school's main entrance-way towards the math ward Kai's head, as it always did, fell so his eyes were directed to the floor. By the trophy cases a memorial had been set up in the memory of Yuuya Minami after he had passed away two years prior. Memory of the event, of seeing Yuuya's sanity crumble at the power of Cyber Dranzer, of the youth dying in Kai's arms, brought to him a sickening sentiment of guilt every time his eyes so much as glimpsed the picture. He hadn't cared much for Yuuya, but the feeling of responsibility for his death weighed heavy on the beyblader's shoulders. Had he not been so selfish, had he not been so cold and unkind to Yuuya the boy would have never turned to team Psykick in the first place. Adversely he wouldn't have been so open to inviting Zo to the team later on that year out of culpability.  
Another regret to add to an already monstrous list.  
As he passed it Kai dared to take a sideways glance at the tribute and his eyes fell immediately to the floor again.  
Like every other piece of his past he just wasn't ready to face this demon again. Best leave it buried and forgotten, for now at least.  
He quickened his pace until his casual saunter became a quick jog and he closed the distance between the entrance-way and his classroom, the unease he felt in his stomach fading with each step he took.  
As he opened the door he was greeted with several sets of eyes, but the lecture continued on and he quietly took his seat at the back next to the window where he fell once more into silent reverie.

At some point in the following half hour Kai's usually split attention merged into complete focus on his daydream as his continued musings about why he was wasting his time with an education he had already completed during his days spent at the abbey began to slip into memories of a particularly unpleasant event regarding the subject. His mind dragged him back to the evening his reckless constitution and less than stable thoughts had led him to use Black Dranzer's power for the first time. The end results had been catastrophic. Kai could still feel the burn of those black flames licking at his flesh.  
Involuntarily he raised his hand to his right shoulder and rubbed at the ring shaped raised scar beneath his coat. Once more his thoughts drifted towards why it was he locked himself away in this school, and again he concluded that he craved the structure.

' _Is that it then?'_ He mused. _'Do I miss it?'_ He bit his lip. ' _No. How could I? After everything that happened-'_ A flash of memory interrupted his thought.

Smiling faces. Laughing.

' _No. I don't miss it… I miss them.'_

Cries of pain. Anguish. Fire. Frightened hazel eyes.

' _I miss him…'_

Kai bit down harder and the taste of copper flooded his mouth. He wiped away the blood from his lip with a sleeve and stood from his seat. Without excusing himself, or asking permission, he packed his books into his bag and started for the door. The teacher questioned this, asked him to sit back down, but Kai paid him no heed and left the classroom unspoken.

The phoenix blader mindlessly trudged to the bathroom, dropped his bag on the floor, and stared blankly at his reflection in the mirror for a few solid moments. His mind was so busy with different introspection's that he could not hear any one thought at all. Finally, overwhelmed by the mesh of noise and spastic imagery his brain was conjuring, Kai moved to turn on the tap. He let the cold water run over his fingers for a moment before he scooped some up and splashed it over his face, wetting his bangs so they stuck to his forehead.  
The voices whispering in his ear stopped and a single thought came to mind.

"I need a haircut."

A snicker resounded from his throat through the room and he quietly laughed at how pathetic he both looked and felt.

"What the hell is wrong with me?"

He reached an arm out and pulled free a handful of paper towel from the dispenser. He used it to dry his face off, and in the process removed some of the concealer from his cheek. He stared silently at his reflection for a moment more before wiping off the rest of the makeup with the heel of his palm.  
The blue tattoos, often mistaken for "war paint" by his peers, sharpened his appearance greatly. They were as fierce as a tiger's stripes and as intimidating as a sharks fin. But that was not their entire intended purpose.  
Kai ran his fingers around the edge of the ink, his mind threatening to wander back to the day he received them. Later he would be grateful for the interruption that snapped him out of his daze, but in that moment Kai grew suddenly aggravated as the doors to the washroom began to creek open.  
Quickly he scooped up his bag and ducked into a stall. He closed the door while he waited for the chatty group of teens to tend to their business and leave, but their conversation soon drew his attention.

"I heard Kai Hiwatari goes to this school." Gushed the first voice, obviously belonging to a young new student.

"Ugh. Yeah." The second was lower and Kai recognized him as a classmate.

"What's he like?"

"A total dick." A third voice belonging to the Soccer team's captain.

"Really?"

"He walks around like he's hot shit and treats everyone like they're beneath him. He thinks he's so high and mighty, but he's probably the most unpopular guy here. Nobody likes him."

"Seriously?" The new student whined. "Aw man, I wanted to meet him."

"Don't try." The second voice stated simply. "The last fan he had that followed him around ended up dead."

Kai winced.

"What happened!?"

"You probably saw the memorial in the hallway for Yuuya Minami?"

"Yeah."

"Well he was a Kai fan-boy and kept following him around. The papers say he died of a brain aneurysm but everybody around here has another theory."

"What's that?"

"Kai killed him."

"WHAT!?"

"I mean, it's just a theory, but it's totally plausible. The story goes that Kai was there when it happened plus, he gives off that "piss me off and I'll strangle you to death" kind of vibe. I'm honestly surprised he hasn't snapped on his teammates yet. People are taking bets on which Bladebreaker he'll do in first. My money is on Tak-"

Having heard enough Kai shoved open the door of his stall, the force slamming it against the wall. "On who?" He questioned, his voice eerily calm considering the situation and anger burning in his eyes.

"Wh-who what?" His classmate stuttered.

"Which one of my teammates do you think I'm going to kill first?"

"Come on Kai, it was a joke."

"Oh, well in that case-" Kai seized the smaller teen by the collar of his shirt, arched his arm back, and sneered. "So is this." His fist struck square in the boy's nose and a loud crack resounded, followed by a yelp of pain. As the boy fell back Kai released his hold and let him drop to the floor.  
Fearfully the new student took a few steps backwards to close the distance between himself and the exit.

"The fuck is your problem!" The soccer captain snarled as he pushed Kai back, away from his bleeding friend.

"Right now it's you." Kai spat.

"You think you can take me?"

Kai's reply was a swift jab to his challenger's stomach, forcing the boy to fold over as he gasped for a breath. He hesitated a moment, giving the teen time to recover before closing in for another strike, one which he would not make if this boy was no longer willing to fight. "The better question is whether or not you can take me. Trust me, you don't want to try." He warned.

An angry cry left the throat of the captain and he threw himself at Kai. The force shoved him back into the door of the stall and knocked the contents of his jacket pocket onto the floor, but a poorly aimed punch missed the beyblader's face and impacted with the metal instead. The boy cursed.

"Last warning." Kai threatened as he side-stepped to gain some distance. Part of him wanted desperately to beat this cocky bastard into the ground while the other knew it was not wise to do so. It was an unfair fight. Kai was much quicker, much stronger, much smarter, and more importantly, deadly without restraint.

"Fuck you." Another fist flew, this one blocked and seized tightly by Kai's left hand. With his right he wrapped his fingers around the student's wrist, gripped tightly and began to twist the teen's arm around. The boy struggled, but could not escape Kai's iron grasp. As his arm was forced back and up the pressure in his shoulder forced him to his knees. He cried out, begging when he realized how far Kai was taking this, but his pleads fell on deaf ears. Kai stepped a foot on his back to hold him down. The boy felt a pop, then a snap, and finally incredible pain. He screamed.

"I warned you." Kai snarled as he leaned over to reach for the two bags of drugs that he'd dropped. Unfortunately he failed to grasp them in time to hide them from the teacher that walked in, having been fetched moments before by the frightened new kid while Kai and the others were distracted.

"What in the hell!" The young professor knelt down next to the boy nursing his shoulder and looked up to Kai, who refused to meet his gaze. "Hiwatari… that was your last strike." 

A half hour and two lectures later saw Kai seated in the office of the Principal, whom had recruited the councilor to meet in with them as well. There was an awkward silence at first. Kai's nonchalant gaze fixed itself on the window behind the two men while they both looked to him, concern etched on one's face and frustration on the other. "Young man, you have been walking a very fine line these last few months." The principal, Mr Hideki Kobashigawa, began, his voice harsh.

"I've seen you more in the last three weeks than I see most of my students in an entire year."

Kai gave no reply.

"Kai-" The councilor, Mr Aoi Hattori started, taking over for Kobashigawa in a much gentler tone of voice. "As you are well aware by now this Academy has a very low tolerance for misbehaviour of any kind."

The beyblader's eyes did not stray from the window, but an amused smirk pulled at his lips.

"We have granted you more leniency than most, considering how your peers often treat you regarding…" He hesitated, searching for the most affable words to apply to the situation.

Kai's eyes finally found their way to the adults, his brow furrowed in annoyance. He hated to be patronized. "My suspected hand in Yuuya's death." He finished for the older man, his tone surprisingly casual despite his obvious annoyance.

"Yes…"

"Perhaps we shouldn't have given you any leeway at all." Mr. Kobashigawa interrupted. "It's never an appropriate response to strike your peers, no matter how hurtful their words. But it seems you learned nothing from your last suspension."

"That was a punishment? And here I thought you were giving me a vacation." Kai quipped.

Hattori sighed and rubbed his temples with his thumb and finger while Kobashigawa dipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out the two little bags they had confiscated from Kai in the bathroom. "Mr Hiwatari, This school has a zero tolerance fight policy as well as a zero tolerance drug and alcohol policy. We have caught you fighting, threatening students, intoxicated, and now with drugs on your person. I'm afraid I have no choice but to expel you from Ishikawa Academy.

"Bummer."

"You are to pack your bags and be off the premises by five this evening." Hattori pulled the phone a little closer to himself and picked up the receiver. "I'll call your parents to come pick you up."

"Alright…" Kai started. "But you might be waiting a while. I don't think the dead can receive phone calls."

Hattori winced. "Right, you stay with your Grandfather-"

"Yeah. But those long distance charges to a Russian prison could put the school over budget."

"Then who do I call for you Kai? Who are you staying with?"

"My Aunt, but she's away on business." Kai leaned forward in his chair and snatched a pen and pad of sticky notes from the table. "Here's her email address. I can take myself home, but I assume this is one of those cases where my 'guardian' needs to be informed of my appalling behaviour and consequences." He tossed the pad carelessly at Hattori, who caught it in his hands.

"It's such a shame Kai." The councilor shook his head. "You have such high potential. Despite your absences you have retained the highest marks in almost all of your classes. Why throw it all away?"

"Why not?" 

Sarcasm aside Kai felt incredibly disappointed with himself. As he packed away his few items into his travel bag he considered the path his life was taking. Was it by choice that he ended up here? Was he in control of his fate or was he still bound to the destiny set out for him by all those years spent training for war? He sat back and pulled his beyblade from his pocket. Dranzer's bit was empty, as it had been since his victory over Brooklyn earlier in the year. Sometimes he believed he still felt her presence soothing him, felt her warmth and protective spirit. Other days he could feel a darker presence looming over, threatening to drown his mind in shadows.  
Today was one of those.  
He reached a hand up to the computer desk and wrapped his fingers around a bottle of pills. He sat Dranzer's blade down on the floor in front of him and popped open the cap of the Russian labeled prescription, spilling one of its contents into his palm. "What the hell is wrong with me…" He repeated to himself before tossing the drug into his mouth and swallowing it without the assistance of water. "Stupid question I guess. I know the answer, I just don't want to think about it." He fondled the bottle in his fingers for a moment, reading over the "Vetrov Pharmaceuticals" logo before he stood from the floor and plopped himself down at his desk, abandoning his packing for a moment to check his e-mail, or rather, his "aunt's".  
He logged into the fake account, read the psychology stuffed message and professional words of advice sent by Hattori with both considerable amusement and disappointment, then promptly sent a formal reply signed by a Junko Hiwatari, a woman who, unknown to all but Kai, did not exist. "One more year and I'm legal." The teen muttered to himself. "And I won't have to keep up this stupid charade."

—Flashback —

 _Kai sat leaning over a laptop, head in his hands, his hair slicked back through fingers that tightly gripped his head as he anxiously waited for a reply email. It had been several days now since the Bladebreakers had won their first championship, and just as many since Voltaire was arrested on allegations of child abuse. Grateful to be free of his cruel hand, and enjoying time spent with his celebrating team (though he would never admit such a thing) Kai had neglected to consider what would happen to him now that his sole guardian was jailed. He had no other living relatives to turn to, which meant his custody was up for grabs.  
When realization finally struck Kai had little time to act. Desperate, he had turned to one of the female Japanese scientists that had worked in the abby when he was a child. He'd hacked into his Grandfather's computer and located her number and address and promptly set to work contacting her. He offered her a deal that if she agreed to act as his guardian for a short period of time he would pay her off and erase her files from BIOVOLT records. However, should she refuse he promised to testify against her in court. A ding alerted Kai of new mail and he let go of his head in exchange for the mouse and keyboard. Eagerly he opened the message and a sigh of relief escaped his lips when he read the last line, confirming the scientists' agreement to his bargain. He sent a message back asking her to meet him to discuss what needed to be done and about who needed to be contacted for what legal documentation.  
Three days later, with the help of a few bribed BIOVOLT hackers, Junko Hiwatari was born and Kai narrowly avoided the custody battle that he had been certain would have landed him in foster care. Instead the fourteen-year-old boy was free to live in the Vetrov mansion on his own with only a few servants (sworn to secrecy) to care for him._

—End Flashback—

Something didn't feel right to Hattori as he read over the e-mail reply from Junko Hiwatari. There was no concern in the message, no questions, no inquiries to what she might do to help Kai back onto the correct path of life. It was simple, cold, and distant. While most might have just assumed her to be too busy to respond in full, it was Hattori's job as a councilor to consider the possible reasoning for her indifference. The first of which came to mind being neglectful parenting.  
For the fourth time he tried calling her with the number they had on file, only to reach a voice message once again. Frustrated and concerned he looked over Kai's documents again in search of anyone else he might have been able to contact.  
Nothing.  
"You are an enigma, aren't you."  
He tapped his fingers against his desk and stared at the wall across from him as he lost himself in his thoughts. He looked down to the desk, hoping that maybe a new phone number might jump at him from out of the abyss. But there was nothing, nothing except…  
He glanced Kai's files again and noticed on his absentee form that he was granted time away from school for the world championship beyblading competition each year.  
"That's it!" Hattori exclaimed. He rolled his chair over to his computer desk and hunted the internet for BBA contact information. As soon as a phone number was up on screen he dialled it and waited, and waited, and waited… "Yes, hello. My name is Aoi Hattori, I'm a councilor at Ishikawa Academy. Mr Dickinson, I was wondering if you might have a moment to speak with me about Kai Hiwatari…"

—

It had been a stroke of dumb luck that had landed Yuriy with employment in a tiny little hole-in-the-wall tavern on the outskirts of the city of Moscow. He had been searching for months for work that paid under the table to no avail. Though he had managed to pick up the odd job here and there that paid a few roubles, it was always just barely enough to pull himself through another day. He worked fish markets, receiving bays, helped load trucks, or assisted on construction sites, but it was never enough to survive on, let alone get him out of his rotten home Country. Certainly Russia had its beauty, but having been met by nothing but the hands of cruelty in these lands Yuriy was more than a little ready to leave it all behind.  
The previous day he had been out hunting for another job, his goal only to earn himself a meal, but he had turned up short. Not a soul was interested in his help and so as afternoon set into evening the hungry beyblader had turned to back alley waste bins. It wasn't glamorous by any means, but it kept him alive another day. Late that night he had found himself picking through the trash behind a quiet little tavern called "Zímnij Dvoréts." He had been so preoccupied with his stomach's growls, and so desperate after three days of starvation to eat something, that he had failed to notice the short, grey-haired, roughly shaven elderly man carrying out a couple bags of garbage towards him.

"Can I help you?"

Like a startled dog Yuriy jumped back, knocking into the bins of trash behind him, nearly tripping over the mess he made. "Sorry… I just… I'll be on my way."

"Now, now my boy, I wasn't trying to scare you off. I mean it, can I help you at all?"

Surprised and confused by the tenderness and concern of the stranger's voice Yuriy timidly stepped out from the shadows of the alley and into the dim light of the street lamps above.  
To any that might have known him from his days spent as a beyblade star he would not be recognized. His once red hair had been dyed a grungy brown and was tied back out of his face. His ice blue eyes, though still as fierce as any wolf's, were dark and bruised from exhaustion and beneath his torn, baggy coat was a frame much too thin to have ever belonged to any athlete. Despite this, however, Yuriy had not lost his sense of pride, which he made clear when he spoke to the old man.

"Do you have any work?"

"Work?" The elder scratched his head in confusion.

"I'm looking for a job."

"Not a sandwich?"

Yuriy shook his head. "I'd rather work for my food." He turned back and glimpsed the trash cans he had been digging through. "Key word is rather."

The old man chuckled. "Well aren't you an odd fellow. I might have some work. Could always use an extra set of hands in the kitchen. Can't afford to pay you very much though, so I suppose it would have to be under the table…"

Yuriy's tired eyes lit up like an excited child. "Really?" He exclaimed. "I can't thank you enough-"

"Well hang on now, I can't hire you until I have at least a name."

"It's Yu-" Yuriy paused. In his excitement he had almost forgotten that Yuriy Ivanov had disappeared off the face of the planet several months prior. "Tala. Tala Valkov."

"Mr. Valkov, it's very nice to meet you." The elder put down the bags of garbage and offered a hand to Yuriy. "My name is Iosif Gruzinsky."

Yuriy took the man's aged hand in his own slender one and offered a strong handshake. At this Iosif smiled.

"You can start tomorrow afternoon. For right now, what do you say I get you something to eat?" 

The Russian beyblader was still dumbfounded by the whole event. It had been almost too good to be true, and for several hours afterwards he had been suspicious of the old man's intentions. Was it a trick? Was he someone from BIOVOLT that recognized Yuriy and was trying to lure him in? Or worse, could he have been an agent of Blitz- No. None of that was possible. BIOVOLT was shut down nearly three years ago and the other organization had lost its founder and fallen apart a few years before that. But if that was true, then why did Yuriy feel such an anxiety to stay hidden away?  
"Ugh, stop thinking about it, you're going to give yourself an aneurysm." He scolded himself as he tied his freshly washed hair back out of his face and checked himself over in the mirror.  
He wore the only jeans and long-sleeved shirt he owned that were not littered in tears. Though the pants were severely faded, and the indigo shirt was a little tattered at the ends of the sleeves he at least looked presentable. Maybe not for an evening of fine dining but it was good enough to wash dishes in. However, his ratty old brown boots, he noted as he slipped them on, quite blatantly gave away his level of poverty. There was a hole in the toe of the left, and in the heel of the right. They were dirty, worn, and could no longer stand up to the elements. A shallow puddle could fill them with water.  
Thank whatever God there may be that he didn't mind the cold. Yuriy sighed and he lifted a foot to examine the wear.  
"Guess these will have to be my first investment." He turned his head to glance at a messy stack of papers scattered over his coffee table. "Oh well. It's not like I'm going anywhere any time soon." He grabbed his coat from the back of the couch, shrugged it on, and left the apartment with a grin on his face.

* * *

A/N Side notes:

1) I can't find a reliable source for Mr. Dickinson's Japanese name, and the one that I did dig up (if it's correct) I'm quite certain I'm going to consistently forget. So I kind of just threw my hands up on that one and decided to let him keep his dub name. It's entirely reasonable that the head of the BBA would be North American, yeah?

2) As far as I'm aware in the original Japanese version of V-Force Yuuya (Wyatt) dies, which would explain why Kai is so incredibly distraught over him for the next few episodes. Whether it's true or not it plays wonderfully into my story line so I'mma use it to my advantage.

3) I don't friggin' know how Japanese school system's work, so forgive me as I Americanize them for the brief period they'll be in this tale.

Russian Translations: Zímnij Dvoréts - Winter Palace


End file.
